


Birthday Surprises

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Fluffvember 2019 [15]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Found Family, Gen, baking mishaps, budding springtime trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 12:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21446062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: Snufkin doesn't know when his birthday is. When Moomin finds out that fact, he and their friends are determined to not only find out when Snufkin's birthday is, but to give him the best (Snufkin Style) birthday they can.Fluffvember Day 15: “I’m going to give you the best birthday ever”/“What was that flavor of cake you liked? I need to know because reasons.”/”It's cake, how difficult can it be?”
Series: Fluffvember 2019 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533602
Comments: 10
Kudos: 97





	Birthday Surprises

“Snufkin, when's your birthday?” Moomin asked abruptly, reclining next to Snufkin on the stream bank where he was staring up at the stars, both of them pleasantly full from Moominmamma's cake, which she'd made special for Moomin's birthday.

Snufkin shrugged. “I've no idea,” he said carelessly. “I've said before, I was lost for a long time. So if I ever knew, I've forgotten. Maybe I don't have one.”

Moomin shot upright. “What? But Snufkin, everyone has a birthday. Do you think your mother might know?”

“Mother hardly ever remembers anyone's birthday,” Little My said, rolling down the hill to land against her brother, who let out a soft 'oooph' at the hit. She braced her hands against his side as she got up to her knees, draping herself over Snufkin. “There's just too many of us, sometimes she doesn't even remember who was born single and who was part of a group.”

Moomin frowned harder. “That's...awful, Little My. But you know yours.”

“Mymble kept a notebook of them while she was still at home,” Little My said. “She thought it was important we all knew when it was and had a special day. Mother went along with it when she got reminded, since she agrees it's important, she just has trouble remembering anything.”

Moomin stood in a rush, determination fueling his decision. “I'm going to go ask Mymble, then!”

“Moomin, it's too late to go talk to people, Mymble's in bed by now,” Snufkin pointed out fondly. “And it really doesn't matter to me. You know I don't like a lot of attention.”

“Yes, well...” Moomin looked away, his ears drooping. “You deserve a day to feel extra special,” he mumbled. “I want to celebrate your being here and how special you are to us.”

Snufkin laughed softly. “Well, I can't stop you,” he said, which Moomin understood as permission to go ahead. “Just don't go overboard, all right?”

Moomin nodded rapidly. “I won't! Oh, just wait, Snufkin! I'm going to give you the best birthday ever!”

\---XXX---

“You know Snufkin would probably just rather you chose some date special to him and use that,” Little My pointed out as she, Sniff, and Snorkmaiden walked to Mymble's home. “Like the day we all met. He'd probably like that better than some random date that he was actually born on. The sap.”

“Probably,” Moomin agreed. “but I want to know what the date actually is, if your sister knows it.”

“Well I think Little My's idea is sweet,” Snorkmaiden said. “You're sure Snufkin's okay with this?”

“So long as we don't throw him a big party,” Moomin said. “We've got to make sure it doesn't get out of hand,” he added, raising his fists as he looked to the sky in determination.

“Will there be food?” Sniff asked.

“You're always thinking with your stomach,” Little My laughed.

“Well, it and presents are the best part of birthdays,” Sniff half whined. “And you know Snufkin doesn't like physical things, so what are we supposed to get him for his birthday anyway?”

“We'll think of that once we get to that point,” Moomin said after a brief pause, staring out ahead of them in dismay. He hadn't really thought of that part...what if Snufkin ended up not enjoying this at all?

“There's a lot of people in Moomin Valley that like Snufkin,” Snorkmaiden pointed out. “Do you think they'll be upset to find out we had a party for Snufkin and didn't invite them?”

“I...I don't know, it probably won't matter, we might not even be having one!” Moomin said, hurrying up to Mymble's door and knocking before they could ask more questions he didn't have answers for. “Mymble? Are you home?”

\---XXX---

“I haven't looked in this notebook in years,” Mymble said, lying the book down on her kitchen table where the others waited. “It's hard to keep it up when Mother doesn't remember and I wasn't right there to write it down. I'm not sure Snufkin's in here, but he should be. It's still hard to believe how long we were separated...let me look now...”

She started flipping through the pages, going back and forth as she mumbled to herself. “No, that's too late, he was born before them...no, she's older...ah, here we are! Mother doesn't always name our siblings right away, and some of us are still just Mymbles, like myself and My, so sometimes it takes a bit. But I wrote down memorable fathers, and, well, Joxter certainly is that.”

She pointed to the small, tidy entry, marking the date Snufkin entered the world.

Moomin's eyes went wide. “That's the same as the day we met!” he cried. “We met on Snufkin's birthday!”

Snorkmaiden's eyes sparkled as she clasped her paws. “Oh, that's so sweet!”

Little My rolled her eyes. “Whatever. That's like a week from now. Think we can make it?”

“Well, it'd just be us, so I think so,” Moomin said.

“Make what?” Mymble asked.

“Oh, a small party for Snufkin,” Moomin answered. “He hates crowds so we want to keep it really small.”

“Oh, I'll have to stop by the day after to wish him happy birthday then,” Mymble said, looking upward as she thought. “If I go by the day of, your mother will feel she has to invite me. We'll have to keep it secret, so other people don't overwhelm him.”

\---XXX---

Moomin rushed to where Snufkin was sitting on the bridge as they returned to Moomin House, calling out Snufkin's name.

Snufkin tilted his hat up and watched them approach, smiling fondly as Moomin skidded to a halt. “It was the comet!” Moomin declared breathlessly. “The day we met when we were trying to find out about the comet! That's your birthday!”

Snufkin blinked up at Moomin for a moment. “I'm not sure what date that was, I don't keep track,” he said. He smiled wider, head tilting as his eyes crinkled in joy. “But that seems like it was a pretty good present for a surprise birthday.”

“Ugh, you're worse than Moomin sometimes,” Little My complained as she stormed past, nudging against Snufkin as she passed in a way that said she wasn't as displeased as she was acting.

“You're not planning something, are you?” Snufkin asked, turning back to Moomin.

“Just dinner,” Moomin said quickly. “No one more than we usually have at one of Mamma's spur of the moment dinner parties. Is that okay?”

“I suppose so, I think I can handle that much attention,” Snufkin smiled again. “I have before.”

“Um...so what flavor of cake do you like best?” Moomin asked. “I need to know for, um, reasons.”

Snufkin chuckled softly at that, looking again out at his fishing. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not sure. I don't eat cake often enough to have a favorite. Most of it's so sweet, it's hard to eat.”

“Oh,” Moomin said, ears drooping. “Okay, um, well...”

Snorkmaiden, meanwhile, went a startling gold, her ears pricking up as she jolted with a sudden idea. “We'll see you later, okay, Snufkin? Moomin, come on, I have something we need to talk about.”

She grabbed onto Moomin's arm and dragged him towards Moomin House while Snufkin and Sniff watched in blank confusion.

Sniff sat down next to Snufkin on the bridge. “What's that all about?” Sniff asked.

“I'm sure we'll find out soon enough,” Snufkin replied.

\---XXX---

“...so that's what I was thinking!” Snorkmaiden finished. “Do you think we can, Moominmamma?”

“It's cake, how hard can it be, right Mamma?” Moomin said. “Do you think Snufkin would like it?”

“That many extra ingredients would make it hard, dear,” Moominmamma said gently. “They'd make the batter very wet, it might not rise properly. Baking is an art, and a science, and you have to hope the baking gods are smiling on you. But it sounds familiar – let me look in Grandmother's book. I think she had something similar that we could tweak.”

She took down the book, and Moomin stared at it as she carefully put it down onto the table, a sudden idea lighting up. “Snufkin loves that book,” he said slowly. “He thinks it's amazing.”

“You can't give Snufkin Grandmother's book for his birthday, dear,” Moominmamma said serenely.

“Of course not!” Moomin said, stung. “But I could copy some of it into one for Snufkin! And we could add things from all of us, and leave pages for Snufkin to add his own!”

“Expanding Grandmother's book...that's very practical, and a bit sentimental,” Snorkmaiden said. “It's something we could pass on, too, if we made a new one to keep adding to.”

“That's a lovely idea, dear,” Moominmamma said approvingly. “I believe Pappa has some blank books upstairs, I'm sure he'll let you have one. Remember the size, we can have a large one here at home but Snufkin needs to keep his pack light.”

“Is there a recipe in Grandmother's book we could use for the cake?” Snorkmaiden asked anxiously.

“Here it is – Forest Berry Cake,” Moominmamma announced. “Vanilla, with as many berries as we like in it, provided we make allowances for ones like strawberries and raspberries and all the juice they can leak into the batter.”

“Oh, it's perfect!” Snorkmaiden exclaimed, looking over the recipe. “And I know a lot of these are in season!”

“We're going to make this the best birthday ever!” Moomin agreed.

Moominmamma paused, searching for the words to voice her concern. “You do remember this is for Snufkin, don't you, dear?”

Moomin and Snorkmaiden nodded rapidly. “Which means it needs to be a best Snufkin birthday,” Moomin said. “Small party, not too sweet of a cake, not a lot of physical presents. I'm just worried about other people finding out and trying to come. Mymble knows, but she said she'd come by the day after to say hello to be sure.”

“Is that what Snufkin wants? What if he did want Mymble there?” Snorkmaiden suddenly worried.

“We can ask him,” Moomin said finally. “And make sure he doesn't say yes because he thinks it'll make us happy.”

“Well, you seem to have your priorities straight,” Moominmamma laughed gently. “Why don't you go talk with Moominpappa about the books? You can go berry picking later – we'll need them as fresh as possible.”

\---XXX---

It took quite a bit of time to pick out just the right books. Moominpappa tended to write in loose paper, binding it together when he was done, so he only had so many blank ones.

And for something like this, it needed to be just right. One not too big, but not so small that it was hard to write in, one that had a lot of space to add to.

In the end, it was a good thing they had time before Snufkin's birthday so they could find a just right pair of books.

Of course, by doing so, word was spreading that it was almost Snufkin's birthday, despite Moomin begging each person who found out to keep it to themselves.

Snufkin doesn't like attention, he reminded them. Snufkin doesn't like crowds.

And he was reassured again and again that of course they remembered, don't worry so much Moomin.

Moomin worried anyway.

It would be very like many people here to drop by despite that reassurance, thinking they'd just wish Snufkin a quick wish for a happy birthday, and then staying for the small, supposed-to-be-intimate party.

Mymble was, actually, now invited. Snufkin had looked thoughtful, before finally nodding his acceptance.

He was curious, he reassured the fretting Moomin. He wanted to know more about his sister.

Apart from Mymble, it was going to be the same people that came usually to their impromptu parties, just the Moomins and Snorkmaiden and Sniff and Little My, maybe Mr. Hemulen.

And that was how Snufkin liked it.

\---XXX---

Sniff and Little My were as enthusiastic for Moomin's idea of a present as Moomin and Snorkmaiden were.

Well, Sniff still thought a good gift was something like an amethyst from the round island, but he finally had to admit that Snufkin didn't have much use for one.

The problem was, what did they copy from Grandmother's book? It was filled with everything from recipes to medical advice to directions, and it was hard to tell what would be useful on the road, and they wanted to leave space for Snufkin to add his own thoughts without having to add a second book.

Sooner or later he might have to if he added enough, but that was for later. This was a problem now.

In the end, each of them, including Moominmamma and Moominpappa, chose three things out of Grandmother's book to copy into Snufkin's and left the rest blank for him to choose what he wanted to copy or to fill in as he wished.

Moominmamma wrapped the one to go with Snufkin in a new (but not too new) kerchief and hid the other to present during the party.

\---XXX---

Moomin, Snorkmaiden, Sniff, and Little My went out berry-picking on a day they knew Snufkin would be doing his own thing, two days before the party.

They could have played it off as getting berries for Moominmamma – technically it wasn't a lie – but it seemed a little off to get Snufkin to pick berries for his own cake, even if he didn't know that was what they were for.

All things considered, they had a feeling they'd need a lot of them, in case they messed up. Moominmamma was good at baking, but they weren't yet, and they were going to help.

Even if it might have been slightly more of a hindrance than a help, especially as they tried to do as much of it as they could, since it was for Snufkin.

Moominmamma was kind enough not to say that, though she did point out that they would need to do the dishes this time – a comment that made them look around at the amount they'd dirtied so far, shrug, and nod with various grimaces.

That was...fair.

The first cake refused to rise, or bake at all, slopping around the bowl almost as liquid as it had gone in.

Moomin and Snorkmaiden looked ready to cry while Little My poked at it angrily.

“These things happen,” Moominmamma said patiently. “There must have been too much juice in the berries. Here, let's try coating them with flour this time, and change this measurement here, and try again.”

The second came out hard as a rock, and Little My tapped it with her fist, the cake making a solid 'thunk' as she did.

“I don't think we're going to manage it,” Moomin said in despair.

“Now, now, this is why I got so many extra ingredients,” Moominmamma soothed. “We've just gone too far in the other direction.”

“One more try,” he said, determination lighting them all on fire as Moominmamma hummed encouragingly.

It took two more to get the mix and baking time just right, but the fifth and sixth cakes (as they had to taste test number five, to be sure they got the mix right) came out fluffy and perfect.

\---XXX---

The table was moved outside, and lights strung up around it, Snorkmaiden and Moomin working together to decorate, with paper lights and flowers mostly.

This was for Snufkin, they wanted it to be pretty and to try and help him understand how special and important he was to them.

The postman started up the path, stopping short and peering around suspiciously. Even from here they could see that he was carrying a second bag of mail, and wondered mildly about it.

“Little My's with her sister!” Moomin called down to him. “The coast should be clear!”

The postman still spent a few moments peering around just in case before he decided the coast was, indeed, clear and he could proceed without fear.

He came across the lawn, hesitating. “I'm supposed to deliver these to the person they're addressed to,” he said. “It's against the postal code to give them to anyone else. But seeing as how Snufkin doesn't have a post box and he doesn't seem to be at his tent, could you be sure he gets these?”

With that, he held out a bag full of envelopes – the second bag he'd been carrying.

Moomin held out his arms for it automatically. “What, all this for Snufkin?” he said incredulously. He grunted softly in surprise at the weight of the bag, adding, “How did you carry this all this way?”

“It's all for Snufkin,” the postman confirmed, ignoring the second question even as he preened. “You see that he gets it.”

With that, the postman set off again, continuing on his rounds, while Snorkmaiden and Moomin stared at the bag as if it contained a live snake.

“What could it all be?” Snorkmaiden said anxiously. “No one sends Snufkin letters but us, and we have to sneak them into his pack.”

“I don't know,” Moomin said, carefully setting down the bag on the table. “But we have to give them to him. I hope it's not overwhelming. Maybe he'll let us help him go through it all so it's not.”

“So what's not?” Little My asked, making them jump. “Aw, did I miss the postman?”

“Little My, you need to stop terrorizing that man,” Mymble said sternly.

Little My giggled. “But he's so much fun when he gets all riled up!” She climbed onto the table, tugging on the bag to look inside. “What's all this?”

“The postman said it's all mail for Snufkin, but since he doesn't have a place to leave it he left it with us,” Moomin explained.

Little My plucked an envelope out of the bag. “Huh, this one's from Mr. Hemulen,” she said. “He said he wasn't coming tonight, right?” A quick dig through, and she started listing off names. “Too-Ticky, Mrs. Fillyjonk, Alicia, Snork, the Inspector, Ninny...I think there's one from just about everyone in Moomin Valley that's not coming to the party.”

“We can give it to him at the party,” Snorkmaiden declared. “That way we can all help him go through it, if he wants. Little My, not yet,” she said when it looked like Little My would go ahead and open one. “We need to finish decorating. I'm glad you're here, Mymble, would you like to help?”

Little My made a face but dropped the card back into the bag.

\---XXX---

Moomin covered Snufkin's eyes as they crossed the bridge, heading for Moomin House.

Snorkmaiden guided him along, holding his paws, the two of them giggling and so delighted Snufking didn't have the heart to put up even a token protest, and went along with it, quietly delighted.

And surprised at himself for how much he was enjoying this despite his general unease with attention being focused on him.

“One, two, three, surprise!” they said, dropping paws, as the others at the dinner joined in in calling out “Surprise!”

Snufkin stared for a moment. Just as promised, it was the Moominparents, Sniff, Little My, Mymble, and Snork. But he hadn't quite expected the decorations, the lanterns casting softly pastel colors across the table and grass and flower garlands, or the cake in the center of the table, covered in swirls of soft white frosting and decorated with berries of all shapes and sizes and colors.

“Happy Birthday!” they chorused, and Snufkin felt the rise of the urge to run that usually came with so much attention, drowned out by a surge of affection for everyone at the table.

“You didn't have to go to all this trouble,” he said as Moomin and Snorkmaiden took his paws, gently tugging him to the table.

“It was hardly trouble,” Moominmamma said, coming around the table to gently take Snufkin's hat and nuzzle his forehead, carefully replacing the hat after. “Doing something special for people we love isn't trouble.”

Snufkin let a small purr escape and took his seat at the table, grateful that after the first cheers they were mostly acting as if it were a fairly normal, if somewhat special, supper. They made just enough references to remind Snufkin they all were still thinking of it, but didn't put him on the spot.

It was a little more attention than usual, but nothing Snufkin couldn't handle. Not from them. He could handle far more than usual when it came to them.

The cake was finally cut after the ritual of candles and wishes, one that brought faint flutters for Snufkin's heart as attention turned fully to him again.

He hadn't gotten this particular ritual before, and maybe it was childish, but he was enjoying himself.

The cake was another surprise, filled as it was with Snufkin's favorite berries.

“Moomin, Snorkmaiden, and Little My made it,” Moominmamma said quietly when Snufkin praised it. He cocked his head at her, and she giggled. “Well, I might have supervised and advised. We were creating something a bit new, it needed some tweaking.”

“I do have a favorite cake now,” Snufkin laughed, leaning against the happily flushing Moomin and Snorkmaiden.

The presentation of the books left Snufkin wide eyed and speechless, eyes sparkling in a way that told them all without words how right they'd been.

At last there was just the letters.

“Can we start opening them already?” Little My demanded. “It's killing me!”

Moomin nudged Snufkin lightly when he hesitated. “I don't think it's gonna be something bad,” he said when Snufkin looked up at him.

“I know, it's just...a lot,” Snufkin said. “Okay, Little My, let's get at it.”

Card after card spilled from the bag. Birthday wishes, small messages, from across the valley, all saying the same thing under carefully polite or heartfelt words.

_We're glad you're here._

And though his face didn't give him away, behind him, Snufkin's tail told on him loud and clear.

Vagabonds weren't supposed to have homes. But a real home is made of the people who live there, who are happy to see you come home and who love you.

Vagabonds didn't have permanent places like that to return to.

But this one did.

And he'd never doubt that again.


End file.
